Volume 3, Issue 1 - September, 2002  

 "From the Right Wing…"

Anaheim
MIGHTY DUCKS

#21

Dan Bylsma’s Newsletter  A Feature of West Michigan Hockey Camp


  I was on the ice in Detroit when the       

        Red Wings lost!  Sorry "Hockeytown" fans!!   

  

For a printer friendly version - click here

 www.DanBylsma.com  

      

This month's issue contains:

 DAN'S TIP OF THE MONTH   THIS MONTH'S QUESTION   TRUST FUND AUCTION   TIPS FROM HOCKEY CAMP 

 DAN'S HONOR ROLL  COACH'S TIP   THE SAYING OF THE MONTH   DAN TRIP IN THE NHL   DAN & JAY'S BOOKS 

  A WAY TO SUBSCRIBE

 
DAN’S TIP OF THE MONTH FOR PLAYERS…

In some of what my father and I have written, we've discussed why your parents should allow (even encourage) you to play youth sports, and the value of playing all the sports - not just hockey.  The reasons are for fun, to develop your athleticism, and so that you can learn some important life lessons before you become an adult when a mistake can be more costly than just two minutes in the penalty box.

Based on my emails, I'm concerned that I've left the impression that I want to change the game or take the element of competition out of your sporting events.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, competition is the reason we play the game, why we race to the school bus, try to win at checkers, advance to the highest levels in our Game Boys, be the first chair in the trombone section, or get the highest grade on a math test.  There is a strong desire built into us to win, be the best, to be the fastest. 

There are some people who think this is unhealthy.  They argue kids should play just to have fun.  So they advocate not keeping score or declaring a winner.  While the adults may not be keeping score, I suspect the kids who are playing know exactly what the score is.  I know I would.  While I support playing for fun, fun is one of the reasons you should play, but not the only reason.

I think the most important reason to play youth sports is to learn life lessons and competition teaches you an important lesson.  All throughout your life there will be a lot of serious competition and you should learn about competition, how to handle it, and that you need to work hard at competing if you want to win. 

There's competition to get into colleges and the best students win.  There's competition for jobs and the best-qualified candidates win.   There's competition for promotions, and the best worker usually wins.  There will be competition to get contracts if you're a salesman, to get published if you're a teacher, to sell the most cars if you're a car salesman, and to win an election if you're a politician.  You may even compete for the attentions of your future marriage partner.  Life is full of competition - serious competition - and I think youth sports help you learn how to compete.  It teaches you that to win you must be your best and do your best.  It also teaches you how to lose and learn from your losses.

So don't let them turn the scoreboard off for your games.  While it's important to have fun, win or lose, it's also important to know if you've won or lost.  That's where the "learning life lessons" part of why I encourage you to play sports comes in.

My father spoke at a hockey awards banquet recently where the coaches indicated they were serious about being Christians and wondered if it was okay to want to win.  My father remembered the biblical parable of the talents.  If you are unaware of the story, a rich man was traveling on a long journey and he gave one servant 10 talents (a measure of money in Biblical times), another five talents, and another two talents for safekeeping.  When the rich man returned he asked for an accounting from each of the servants.  The servant who received 10 talents had invested them and returned 20 talents to the master.  The one who had five returned 10.  The servant who had received two talents had buried his and returned the two talents to the master explaining he was afraid and didn't want to lose the talents, so he hid them.  The master was angry with this servant, fired him, and gave the two talents to the first servant.  The lesson of the story could be that you shouldn't bury your talents.  But the lesson also could be that you are expected to compete and try to win with the talents that have been given to you.  

So I encourage you to play the games of youth.  All of them.  Play them for fun.  Play them hard.  Compete to the best of your ability.  Keep score.  Try to win.  And learn the lessons of competition and what it takes to win.  Because believe me when I tell you you'll be competing for the rest of your life and the stakes will be more than a W or L on your team's record.

Dan Bylsma

THIS MONTH'S BEST QUESTION ON THE WEB SITE…

Dan: I question the need to discuss the use of alcohol in your newsletter.  It's a parental/association issue... A.P

 

Dear A.P. I am aware that for many people including myself (Mary Beth and I spent the Olympic break in Napa Valley) the use of alcohol is not a problem.  But professionally speaking, I have seen - up close and personal (roommates) - several potentially brilliant careers destroyed by alcohol and it's not a sight I wish to see happen to anyone else.  I write this after the headline that many of you may have read that 25% of alcohol is consumed by underage drinkers.  That should be sobering to anyone involved with youth.  The chapter in our second book "What's Wrong With Sneaking a Beer" was included to tell young players that if you aspire to perform at the highest levels, you need all your faculties.  And we can all agree that the use of alcohol precludes that.  And then there is an aspect of alcohol consumption by minors that the following letter points out more poignantly than I can:  

 

Dan: Please print the following in your newsletter if anyone thinks that a discussion of the appropriate use of alcohol at team functions is unnecessary...

 

"Being raised by hard working, God fearing, very loving parents, you would think that I would've listened to all of the warnings and advice about alcohol.  The truth is that I did.  Most people have stories about someone that they know who got into trouble with alcohol or worse yet, injured or killed in a drunk driving accident.  Growing up, I was no different.  I saw first hand the effects of alcohol abuse in my family and heard stories from other kids who had similar situations.  To most people that would've been enough to scare them, but not me.  You see, in my mind I was different.  I would never let myself get too carried away, or so I thought.

"Behind our swimming pool, in our large backyard, in a middle-class area of northeast Philadelphia, I took my first drink at the age of twelve. Out of curiosity I stole a can of beer and immediately after drinking it I was trying to figure out how I could get another.  For me, once I took a drink, the drink took over me and I was no longer in control of what happened next.  This is a statement that I would re-live almost everyday for the next eleven years.

"Almost instantly I began to give up the things that meant the most to me.  Youth group at church, where most of my friends were.  Boy Scouts, which I had been involved with for several years.  And baseball, my passion and at twelve, my reason for living.  This was the last to go, at fourteen, because by then I had to drink even when I didn't want to.  Now prepare yourself for the irony.  Never once did I think of the consequences of what I was doing to myself.  I remember thinking that I was getting tired of everyone telling me that I had so much potential and I was throwing it all away.

"Realistically I was not major league talent or even of college level ability.  But I had heart and a great love for the game.  When someone rounded third and there was going to be a play at the plate, they had to be ready to do whatever it took to score because they knew that I was about to sacrifice my body to stop them.  When you're the smallest kid in the league and the catcher and are willing to do whatever it takes to help the team, you are  respected.  And that's what I earned - respect.  What took a lot of hard work and determination to achieve over a long period of time, seemed to go away almost overnight.  What I thought would never, could never, happen to me, was happening.  I was destroying myself with alcohol.

"After eleven years, by only the grace of God was I able to sober up.  My life today is great.  I have the best wife in the world and two great kids.  My son who is eleven plays ice hockey with the same passion as I played baseball.  My five year old daughter enjoys T-Ball and basketball.  My greatest hope is that they or any kid can learn from my mistakes and continue to chase their dreams.  In your book "So You Want To Play in the NHL", you and your father ask the question, "What's So Wrong With Sneaking a Beer?".  Along with your informative response, I hope that this kids form their own answer.  I did sneak just one beer and lost my youth, my friends, and all my dreams.

"Today I am 32 years old and I've been without a drink for almost nine years but that doesn't mean that I'm no longer paying the price for my indulgence.  I work jobs that are very hard physically because education was not as important to me as drinking was.  Recently, it's been discovered that I have an abnormal growth at the base of my brain.  Several specialists have told me that there is a 99% chance that it's directly related to the amount of alcohol I consumed.  I don't tell this to scare anyone because I know that many kids might think the same way I did, "I won't happen to me."  I tell these things because this can be the reality of sneaking just one beer.

"My hope is that kids won't just read this and forget about it.  There may come a day with they're at a party and have the opportunity to take a drink.  I hope they will think about their dreams and understand that they can achieve them but they have to remain focused and clear minded.  And if they have the thought that for them it will be different, I hope they remember that I thought the same thing.  And lost it all by sneaking just one drink."

 

As I said, more poignantly written than I could say it...

And to A.P., I think warning about the dangers of underage drinking and the messages we as adults pass along to our children about alcohol are more important than warning of the dangers of not skating in a seated position.

   Dan Bylsma

Go to TOP  DAN'S TIP  THIS MONTH'S QUESTION  HONOR ROLL  COACH'S TIP  SAYING  DAN in the NHL  BOOKS  SUBSCRIBE
MY CHARITABLE TRUST FUND...

The auction for the King's tickets and my first NHL Jersey will bring $1,000 to my charitable trust fund (the winning bidder's employer has a 100% matching gifts program!).  A huge "Thank you" to the winner and to all of you who participated. 

The next auction is a Kid's Auction.  I have a Wayne Gretzky hand numbered (416/1999) Farewell Tour Puck in it's Upper Deck Memorabilia box.  The Dealer who contributed the puck tells me that the retail price for these pucks was $100.  I also have a Teemu Selanne bear - a bright blue "Beenie Baby" type bear, and a signed copy of our second book, "So You Want To Play in the NHL."  So you're bidding on the package of the puck, the bear, and the book. 

Remember the rules for a Kid's Auction.  You must be under 18, you need your parents' permission to bid, and you can only raise the bid by 25 cents.  For the last Kid's Auction, I sent every unsuccessful bidder an autographed picture.  There may be a similar surprise this auction.  The bidding will start at $10 and will end on Sunday, April 7th at 6:00:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.

 
NOTES FROM DAN'S HOCKEY CAMP...

One of the things you receive from me when you sign up for my camp is a package that reminds you it would be important to come to camp in good physical condition.  Usually that package contains a part of my summer training manual - largely because my father thinks you would find it interesting to see what an NHL summer training manual looks like.  While I always tell my campers they aren't expected to train like an NHL'er, it would be important to come into camp in good shape to avoid injuries, to be able to keep up, and not limit your participation. 

Part of the training manual deals with nutrition.  I was reminded of that by a question on the web site from a concerned Mom who asked what kind of foods are necessary to keep up a high level of energy.  Her player was dragging after the second period and didn't seem to have any energy.  That prompted me to pass along some of the suggestions from the nutritional section of one of the LA Kings' summer training manual.

The title of the Nutrition section is:

 "Nutrition for High Performance Hockey Payers

The Good, the Sad, and the Ugly"

At first I thought they were referring to some of my teammates.  But then I saw that the manual goes on to describe what kinds of food are good (highly recommended), sad (to be used cautiously), and ugly (avoid these or feel very guilty!!).  The manual starts out with five basic rules:

  1. High performance... requires high quality foods from the four food groups:

    • Vegetables and Fruits

    • Meats

    • Grains

    • Milk and Cheese

    • and HIGH volumes of fluids

  2. The high quality foods should emphasize carbohydrates (pasta, grains, potatoes, fruits, vegetables) and minimal fats (oils, butter, creamy sauces, red and processed meats).

  3. The best fluids for re-hydrating are the electrolyte with sugar and water beverages like Gatorade; juices, water, tea, and mineral water are also very effective.

  4. Fuels are restored at the fastest rate during the first two hours after exercise.  Therefore, post-game or practice, the high carbohydrate fluids and meals should be taken as soon as possible following the activity.

  5. Sugars in the hour prior to exercise can result in a "low" or tired feeling just before or in the early part of the game or practice.  However, sugar/electrolyte drinks (Gatorade is best), during exercise result in very high levels of re-hydration and provide high-energy fuel without the "low" effect.

Here's the nutritionist's definition of the GOOD, the SAD, and the UGLY:

 

BREAKFAST

The GOOD: cereals, low fat muffins, pancakes, waffles, toasts, fruit, low fat milk.

The SAD: cheeses, eggs, whole milk, syrups, jams, coffee, peanut butter.

The UGLY: cream, riches sauces, butter, ham, bacon, sausages.

 

 

LUNCH, DINNER, AND PRE-WORKOUT MEALS

The GOOD: fresh vegetables and fruits, salads, lightly steamed vegetables, breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, soups, skinless chicken, fish, much water.

The SAD: red meats, shellfish, cheeses, creamy sauces, eggs, non-meat pizzas, ice cream, desserts, coffee.

The UGLY: fried foods, oils, butter, pork, preserved meats.

 

 

POST-GAME/PRACTICE MEALS

The GOOD: pasta, breads, fresh fruits and vegetables, non-creamy sauces and soups, potatoes, rice, salads, waffles, pancakes, juices, water, Gatorade.

The SAD: creamy sauces and soups, chicken, fish, red meats, non-meat pizza, cheeses, coffee or caffeine drinks, ice-cream.

The UGLY: deep-fried or pan fried foods, oils, butter, preserved meats.

 

 

SNACKS

The GOOD: raw vegetables, fresh fruits, dried fruits, low fat muffins, toast, juices.

The SAD: popcorn (No Butter!), pretzels.

The UGLY: potato chips, peanuts.

 

How important is this?  For a professional athlete whose body must be at it's optimum fitness and have the ability to generate high level bursts of energy over a sustained period of time - very important.  If I were to slack off and have two Quarter Pounders with fries instead of a good size portion of pasta and a large salad with bread for my pre-game meal, come game time it seems like I can't move my legs and I can feel the lactic acid build up (pain).

Typically, after a game I have soup, a large salad with bread, a big portion of pasta and perhaps an order of Chicken Parmesan because it's necessary to refuel what's been lost over the course of a game.

The saying, "You are what you eat" can be refined for athletes so say, "You can only burn the fuel you have and it's not called junk food for nothing."

So you feel like you don't have enough energy to play the entire game and your legs won't function during the third period, consider the food you're eating.  Quarter Pounders and fries may be the reason you're at quarter speed in the third period and your legs are fried.

Bon Appếtit!

Dan Bylsma

DAN’S HONOR ROLL 

I think your academic progress is so very important that I have an academic Honor Roll; I don't have an honor roll for hat tricks and shutouts.  I hope each of you are diligent in your studies and can either raise your GPA by one point, or can attain a 3.5 GPA and be listed here.

 

NAME

AGE

GPA

 SCHOOL

 TEAM

STATE

Mitch MacLoed

 11 3.85

Spring Lake Intermediate

GRAHA Griffins PeeWee A

MI**

Cliff Jones ‡

 12 3.96

Spring Lake Middle

Muskegon House PeeWees

 MI*

Marshall Jones

 10 3.85

Spring Lake Intermediate

Muskegon House Squirt

MI*

Winston Jones

 8 4.00

Holmes Elementary

Muskegon House Squirt

 MI*

Tyler Spiering ‡

 11 3.96

Sylvan Christian

EGRAHA PeeWee B

 MI*

Zach Fussey

 9 3.61

Holy Family Catholic

IYHL Irish Rovers Mite A

 IN

Joe Adams

 9 4.14

St. Paul's Lutheran

Jr. Ducks Squirt A

CA

Bryan Duke

 12 3.62

Perry Meridian Middle

Indy Racers PeeWee A

 IN

Ross Hinkle

 10 3.69

Wayland Pine Street

Grizzlies Squirt AA

 MI*

Aaron Alkema ‡

 7 TR

Kettle Lake Elementary

GRAHA Griffins Mite AA

 MI*

Daniel Monteforte ‡

 14 4.20

E. Stroudsburg Sr. HS

Lehigh Valley Bantam A

 PA

Bennett Schneider ‡

 12 3.75

Ft. Meyers Canterbury

Jr Everblades PeeWee Grn

 FL

Joshua Valkema

 13 3.50

Jenison Public

Jenison Wildcats PeeWee B

 MI*

Casey Hobbs

 12 4.00

Pleasant View Middle

Pueblo Panther PeeWee

 CO

Mark Hazel

 12 3.96

Pinewood Middle

Kentwood PeeWee AA

 MI

Ryan Corgan ‡

 13 4.00

North Muskegon Middle

Muskegon Chiefs PeeWeeB1

 MI*

Jody Lisicky

 11 3.80

Garnet Valley Middle

Quakers Squirt AA

 PA

Max Goldstein

 12 4.28

Loggers Run Middle

Jr. Panthers PeeWee

 FL

Jeremy Hopersberger ‡

 10 4.00

Laingsburg Elementary

Flint Phantoms Squirt AA

 MI*

Dan Dunbar

 12 3.93

Los Flores  Middle

South Coast Sabers PeeWee A

 CA

Barrick Bollman‡

 12 4.00

Upton Middle

S.  Bend Irish Rovers PeeWee A

 IN

Piero Iberti

 12 3.55

Packer Collegiate

N.J. Jr. Devils PeeWee Minor

 NY*

Josh Corgan ‡

 9 TR

N. Muskegon Elementary

Muskegon Chiefs Squirt AA1

 MI*

Kevin Brooks

 10

3.75

 Santiago Hills Elementary  Jr. Ducks Squirt A CA

Brandon Ryfiak

 10 3.50 Rockford Parkside Rockford Squirt MI*

Mark Jannenga

 11 3.92 St. Mary's Elementary Perani's PeeWee MI

Paul Engman

 11 3.85 East Rockford Middle Rockford Rams PeeWee B MI

Lucas McShosh‡

 11 3.96 Baldwin Middle GRAHA Griffins PeeWee A MI*

Andrew Fried

 11 3.75 Greens Farms Academy Wonderland  of Ice PeeWee CT

Ian Jendro‡

 11 3.50 Holy Family Catholic Seattle PeeWee AAA WA*

James Donley

 11 4.00 Maplewood Elementary GRAHA Squirt MI*

James Sheff

 10 3.95 Inland City Academy GLAHA Panthers Squirt B MI*

Michael Orlando

 9 3.5 Wrightstown Elementary Ice World Devils Squirts PA

Chris Orlando

 16 3.5 Canterbury School Canterbury Saints H.S. CT

Jonathan Koslop

10 4.00 Pinewoods Elementary Everblades Select FL

Seth Hawthorne

 15 3.67 Grand Haven High Grand Haven Varsity MI*

Zach Runge

 12 4.00 Kellogsville Middle GRAHA PeeWee B3 MI

Brad Christiansen

 10 3.66 Peach Plains Elementary Excel Propane PeeWee MI

Ryan Christiansen

 6 3.5 Peach Plains Elementary Grnd Hvn. Rec. Inline Mite MI

Mathew Rosenthal

 10 4.0 Chaparrel Elementary Lightning Squirts CA*

Cody Hunn

 14 4.0 Fairmont Junior High  Texas Greyhound Bantam AA TX

Parker Ewles

 9 TR Turtle Creek Elementary Jr. Mighty Ducks Mite A1 CA

Brandon Grieves

 9 4.0 Cary Christian  Raleigh Storm Mites Travel NC

Tim Thompson

 7 4.0 Chapel Glen Elementary  Indianapolis Junior Ice IN